Hurricanes are relatively rare in the Yuma area, but these severe storms can end up dropping a ton of rain when they do hit. With high winds and heavy rains, it’s important to lower the risk of serious damage to your heating and cooling system. These hurricane safety tips offer effective ways to protect your HVAC system from hurricanes and tropical storms.
Hurricane Preparation for HVAC Systems
When you find out that a hurricane or tropical storm is headed for the Yuma area, make sure that you and your family have all of the supplies you need first. When this is done, you can focus on getting your HVAC system ready for bad weather in the following ways:
- If flooding might occur, consider putting your outdoor HVAC unit on an elevated surface if possible.
- Inspect your outdoor HVAC unit for loose bolts and screws, then tighten these to stop them from falling out during a storm.
- Place a cover on your outdoor HVAC unit, such as a tarp, to reduce the risk of having large pieces of debris cause damage.
- Turn the gas off to your natural gas furnace if you have one in order to lower the risk of damage and gas leaks.
- Turn the breakers off for your heating and cooling system to prevent power surges from causing serious damage.
What to Do After a Hurricane
Don’t rush to turn on your air conditioning after a hurricane or tropical storm is gone. You’ll need to make sure that your HVAC system has no damage, so that it can operate safely. Keep these hurricane safety tips in mind:
- Move branches, leaves, and other debris off of the outdoor HVAC unit, and clear debris from around it.
- Remove the covering from your outdoor HVAC unit, so that you can visually inspect it. You should look for obvious signs of damage, such as large dents.
- Set up service to have your HVAC system thoroughly inspected by a technician.
If you’re looking for more hurricane safety tips to keep your Yuma home and HVAC system safe, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company.
